The Remarks Of Speaker Sheldon Silver

Attorney General Cuomo Press Conference
Unveiling "NY-CARES" Legislation

Attorney General's Office, Capitol, 2nd Floor, Albany, NY
Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Silver, flanked by (from left) Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, expressed his support for “New York-Cares,” a legislative initiative to ensure that New Yorkers have access to a home-based health care system that is centered on the well being and safety of the people it cares for. Government Responsibility     Improving Home-Based Care

Senator Bruno. Assemblyman Gottfried. Senator Hannon. Representatives of the home health care industry. Members of the media.

On behalf of the State Assembly, I commend Attorney General Cuomo for his leadership in uncovering a serious problem within the home health care industry and for recommending the reforms contained in the landmark "NY-CARES" legislation which is being unveiled here this morning.

We are pleased to be working with the Attorney General and with our colleagues in the Senate to improve home health care throughout the State of New York and more important, to better protect the vulnerable populations who depend on home health care aides for their well-being and their safety.

The Assembly Majority - with the leadership of our Health Committee Chairman, Assemblyman Richard Gottfried - has long supported community-based health care as well as programs that enable senior citizens to "age in place."

In fact, more than a decade ago, I authored and guided through to enactment the legislation that created the Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities program, commonly known as "NORC," to enable our senior citizens to remain in their homes and receive the health and social services that they require.

While we all agree that home health care is an important part of our health-care system it is, by its nature, a leap of faith.

Opening the doors of your home to a stranger - even if that stranger is the consummate health-care professional - requires a very high degree of trust both in your ability to identify the best provider and in the home health care aides themselves.

Certainly, it is an ideal situation for those who prey upon the weak and the vulnerable.

That said, I believe that the vast majority of home health care agencies are reputable and that the vast majority of home-care providers are compassionate and upstanding professionals.

Still, it is the responsibility of government to inform citizens so that they can protect themselves, to ensure that home health care providers meet appropriate standards of training and expertise, and to guarantee that there is transparency and accountability in the activities of this industry.

That is what we will accomplish with NY-CARES.

Once again, let me thank Attorney General Cuomo for his leadership on this important matter.

We look forward to passing this legislation and getting it to the Governor's desk before the end of the current legislative session.